SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24

Clear vision, sustainable mission.

Click on the headings in the table of contents to go to the relevant page.
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PREFACETABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of contents
Video of Dr. Klaus Geißdörfer’s
preface: mag.ebmpapst.com/
sustainability-report-2023-2024

EBM-PAPST AT A GLANCE

04

OUR SUSTAINABILITYMISSION STATEMENT

06

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT08

A clear commitment to greater sustainability 09© ebm-papst; Christof Wolfi

About thisreportTogether, sustainability and digitalization
can achieve great things – this is something I truly believe. At ebm-papst, we
strive every day to combine sustainablethinking and action with the use of advanced technology. Our products alreadystand for efficiency and sustainability.
Now, we want to tap into their full potential. However, we can’t do this alone. We
must collaborate with our customers,
suppliers, and network partners to develop and implement new business models.
The era of smart, needs-based use of oursolutions has only just begun. The nextstage in our value-creation process will beto produce smart, networked solutions
that reduce CO2e consumption while inuse. As with all the challenges we face,achieving this goal will require more thanjust our decades of expertise and dedication to ongoing economic and ecologicalimprovement. Our success will also involve intensive consultation, productive
02

discussions, and our employees, whose
commitment, enthusiasm, and humanity
all help to support these trends for the
future. I am proud of how far we havealready come as a company and as a society, and I look forward to what we willachieve together. Join us on the path to afuture fit for our grandchildren. In the following pages, you will find an overview of
how we tackle the issue of sustainability at
ebm-papst. I hope you enjoy reading thisissue and come away from it filled withinspiration for the future!

Yours
sincerely,

Dr. Klaus Geißdörfer
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)ebm-papst Group

Avoidance before reduction

10

Percentage of energy generated within
the company continues to rise12

Conserving resources
with innovative solutions

14

SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONS	16

The HighSpeed generation:
Optimization as a principle

17

Digital brilliance

18

Future-proof testing: Our test center 

19Fresh retrofit 

20

The ebm-papst Group’s first sustainability report covers the 2023/24
financial year. The period taken into
account runs from April 1, 2023, to
March 31, 2024.
Our reporting is based on the international standards defined in the
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a
breakdown of which can be foundon page 38. In addition, our sustainability activities contribute to ten of
the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). Thesecan be found as markers on the corresponding pages of the report.

For more informationon the basis of oursustainability
reporting, visit:
mag.ebmpapst.com/
report28© ebm-papst; Philipp Reinhard

18© ebm-papst with Midjourney (AI-generated)

PEOPLE &CORPORATE CULTURE

22

Welcome to the People House!

23

A people-first approach

26

Learning from (working) life

28

PARTNERSHIPS &RESPONSIBILITY

30

Growing together

31

Transparent, efficient, complete 

33Think fair, act fair34

OUR PATH TO THE FUTURE

36

GLOSSARY

37

GRI INDEX

3803

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24© Yevhenii; Foxy Fox – stock.adobe.com

INTRODUCING OUR COMPANY

49

LOCATIONSWORLDWIDEIn keeping with our “local-forlocal” principle, ebm-papst has awidespread international presence© ebm-papst; Philipp Reinhard

ebm-papst at a glance
ebm-papst stands for sustainable
and intelligent solutions in air anddrive technology. Our goal is tocreate a better climate – for bothpeople and the environment.
We develop innovative systems
and solutions that move air efficiently and contribute to thecircular economy.
04»Every new productmust outperform its predecessor economicallyand ecologically.«

Gerhard Sturm
Company founder, ebm-papst

2.408 billion

13,80033,000EUROS IN SALES IN THE
2023/24 FINANCIAL YEAREMPLOYEESWORLDWIDEPRODUCTS

Last updated: June, 2024

The company was founded jointly by Gerhard
Sturm, Heinz Ziehl, and Günther Ziehl in 1963and has its headquarters in Mulfingen, Germany.
Positioned as a technological leader with motor
technology, electronics, digitalization, and aerodynamics as its key areas of expertise, ebm-papst
specializes in products that save on both energy
and resources. We offer intelligent and tailormade solutions for almost any need imaginable
in the field of air and drive technology. Our diverse portfolio includes state-of-the-art fans,motors, and control technology that are designed
for maximum efficiency and sustainability. Our

products are used in almost every industry, including ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration technology, heating technology, information
technology, mechanical engineering, intralogistics, and medical technology.
The Group generated sales of 2.408 billion euros
in the 2023/24 financial year, and employed
13,800 people at 27 production facilities and49 locations worldwide. With expenditures of
137 million euros on our research and development, we have once again succeeded in further
increasing the resource efficiency of our entire
product portfolio.

Find out more about the
ebm-papst group:
www.ebmpapst.com/aboutus

05

SUSTAINABILITY MISSION STATEMENTSUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24

Our sustainability
mission statement
When it comes to sustainability, we think holistically. That is why wehave defined in our mission statement that we operate sustainably,
ethically, and lawfully. These different aspects fit together like matching pieces of a puzzle and form the basis of our daily activities.
itize measures. This is why we visualize our mission statement as a puzzle with interlocking pieces for each of the aforementioned areas. No one
piece of the puzzle can work without its counterpart – just as climate and environmental protection measures can only be initiated by a motivated team that enjoys working at the company.
Only by correctly assembling the pieces of oursustainability strategy will we be able to see thebig picture and achieve our goals. We have used
the same structure for our sustainability report:
Each of the four sections in the report represents
one of the “puzzle pieces” in our sustainability
mission statement, examining the associatedmeasures and content in detail.

SUSTAINABLE, ETHICAL, AND LEGAL BUSINESS PRACTICES

Our materiality matrix
in detail:mag.ebmpapst.com/
mission-statement

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
We are implementing a clear roadmap forgreenhouse gas reduction and are fullycommitted to protecting nature and ourplanet’s habitat.
• Greenhouse Gas Reduction• Ecosystem Protection

We create a healthy and safe environment
within the ebm-papst family so everyone is able
and eager to contribute in the best possible way.
Each individual – and the group as a whole – isconstantly learning and developing. We demandand promote diversity and inclusion.
• Health• Lifelong Learning & Development  • Diversity & Inclusion

SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONS
We add value for our customers with oursystems and solutions. With our innovations, we move air efficiently. Throughmaterial and resource efficiency, we aretaking the path to a circular economy.
• Material & Resources• Innovation

06

PEOPLE &CORPORATE CULTURE© Bostan Natalia; Ольга Холявина; Buffstock – stock.adobe.com

As part of our materiality analysis prepared in
2023, we identified the most important sustainability topics for ebm-papst with the help of acomprehensive stakeholder survey. In addition toeconomic performance, we found particular relevance with environmental issues such as energy
and emissions. Additional focal points relate toour portfolio and deal with issues such as the energy efficiency and recyclability of our products,
as well as the education, training, and well-beingof our employees. This analysis was used to define
our sustainability mission statement, which isbased on the four cornerstones of climate andenvironment, partnerships and responsibility,
people and corporate culture, and systems andsolutions. It guides us in our day-to-day business,and helps us to define concrete targets and prior-

PARTNERSHIPS &RESPONSIBILITY
We take responsibility for our customers,
suppliers, and the community. In doing so,
we are committed to human rights andmaintain long-term relationships within
our value chain.
• Business Relations• Social Engagement• Value Chain

07

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

A clear commitment
to greater sustainability
ebm-papst’s purpose, “Engineering a better life,” illustrates the importancewe place on our goal of helping to make the future better. With our increasingly
efficient and intelligent solutions, we are helping to make the world a moresustainable place. However, team spirit and joint action also play a key role inthis – both within the company and in the collaborative and constructive way
everyone involved works together.
Sustainable action never works when attempted
as an isolated solution – it needs to include everyone who has a share in the value chain. Here at
ebm-papst, this knowledge spurs us on every day
as we strive to find new and intelligent solutions
in networks and partnerships with our customers,
suppliers, and service providers. Our aim is always
to make our processes and products even moresustainable and efficient.

Climate &environment© ebm-papst; CN

We plan and implement a wide range of measures toprotect our ecosystem – from reducing greenhousegases to conserving resources.

08

We are committed to renewable energies such as photovoltaic systems –for example at our Xi’an site in China

Just last August, in 2023, ebm-papst joined theScience Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), a climate
protection organization that evaluates and verifies the sustainability targets of participatingcompanies. The submitted climate protection
measures are only validated if these targets arein line with the Paris Climate Agreement – theinitiative to cap global warming at just 1.5°C
higher than pre-industrial levels. For Klaus
Wittmann, Director ESG, this is a forwardlooking step: “We decided to make this commitment because the Initiative works on ascientific basis. This makes it a very good fit for
us and our interests.” In accordance with thecommitment required by the SBTi, ebm-papst
formulated clear targets at the beginningof 2024 that must now be validated by theInitiative. Klaus Wittmann explains, “Now it’sa matter of implementing the objectives on aschedule – defining the next steps precisely
and including our suppliers and customers inthis process.”

Further expanding sustainability expertise
Additionally, ebm-papst participates in the
EcoVadis sustainability rating and the Carbon
Disclosure Project (CDP). The CDP’s assessmentof CO2e emissions, climate risks, and reduction
targets and strategies has proven particularly useful due to its wide reach and good comparability.
Many companies now see this assessment as animportant barometer for the effectiveness ofmeasures they have implemented. Annemarie
Hillenbrand, Sustainability Manager at ebm-papst,
is following this development closely: “Many of
our customers subject their companies to CDP assessments, and also require us to disclose our environmental and climate targets in accordancewith these standards. We are happy to comply
with this request, as it matches our own interests
exactly.” Irrespective of this, the company’s
long-standing participation with EcoVadis willcontinue to be of great importance, Annemarie
Hillenbrand stresses. “Even though CDP focuses
more strongly on climate and environmental issues, EcoVadis is still an important and indispensable rating program for us due to its clear emphasis on environmental, social, and governanceissues, which helps us to strengthen our sustainability expertise further.” A commitment that isclearly bearing fruit, as the EcoVadis Silver Medalfrom 2023 shows. Thanks to a significant increasein the company’s score compared to the previous
year, ebm-papst is now among the top 20 percent
in its industry.
		

For more information on oursustainability initiatives andratings, please visit:www.ebmpapst.com/sustainability

09CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENTCO2SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24

CH4

Total emissions in t CO2e

HFCs

PFCs

SF6

NF3

Emissions according to
Scope 1 and Scope 2 in t CO2e

48,043

16,383
14,22742,54931,66028,322
24,203ready showing the first signs of success: having
achieved a reduction of 11.4 percent in the Scope
1 and 2 emissions areas in the 2022/23 financial
year, we achieved a further reduction of 43.1 percent in 2023/24.

1
2
Scope

13,894

10,309Direct emissions

49.6

Scope

FY 2021/22

FY 2022/23

FY 2023/24

FY 2021/22

FY 2022/23© SavingThrw; Nataliya Kalabina – stock.adobe.com; © storyset; macrovector – freepik.com

Avoidance
before reduction
Our goal is to achieve climate-neutral
production in the 2025/26 financial year.
This means reaching climate neutrality interms of both Scope 1 (emissions caused
directly within the company) and Scope 2(emissions caused indirectly through energy procurement). We have significantly
intensified our sustainability efforts inrecent years in pursuit of this goal.
10

FY 2023/24

Primary objective: Avoiding emissions
One of the key mechanisms that will help us implement our roadmap is the use of renewableenergy sources. “To this end, we invest more than
three million euros a year in generating our own
renewable energy through initiatives such as theglobal expansion of our photovoltaic systems andthe electrification of our fossil energy sources,”says Klaus Wittmann, naming two of the most important measures we are using to
put this strategy into practice.
Photovoltaics in particular is becoming a hot topic: Our Hollenbach plant will connect its third
photovoltaic system to the grid in
2024, and preparations are currently underway for the commispercent saved on emissions
sioning of further installations inthanks to green electricity
Slovenia and Hungary. While thefinal contractual details still need
to be agreed upon in Slovenia, construction work
has already begun at our Hungarian sites. Our aim
is to get four new installations up and running by
the end of 2024. Another aspect of our strategy inthis area is the complete transition to green electricity, which we aim to complete by 2025. Our
locations in Germany, China, and the USA havebeen running exclusively on green electricity sincespring 2023, with other countries to follow in thecourse of the year. The success of this initiative isalready quantifiable in figures: purchasing green
electricity enabled us to avoid around 49.6 percent of all Scope 1 and 2 emissions in 2023.

Indirect emissions
Last updated: May 16, 2024

We adopted the key points of a sustainability
strategy back at the end of 2021, and subsequently documented them in our CO2e roadmap. According to Klaus Wittmann, Director ESG at
ebm-papst, the company is pursuing a clear
guideline to achieve the global climate targets
set out in the roadmap within the specified timeframe: “Our top priority is to avoid CO2e emissions. Where this is not entirely possible, we use
other mechanisms we have identified as part ofour strategic development: optimizing energy efficiency in the production process, which can bedone by increasing our use of waste heat and optimizing energy and shutdown management, installing photovoltaic systems, and purchasing
green electricity. Offsetting the remaining emissions that are technically unavoidable or irreducible is another tool available to us, albeit one that
we only use as a last resort.” This approach is al-

Internal retrofit project contributes toreduction in emissions
A closer look at Scopes 1 and 2 reveals that morethan 60 percent of the emissions we produce are
generated in areas covered by Scope 2, i.e. indirectly through the purchase of energy. “That’s
why we are constantly and carefully monitoring
ways of optimizing our internal processes to makethem more energy efficient,” says Annemarie

Hillenbrand, Sustainability Manager at ebm-papst.
A good example of the effectiveness of this work
is our internal “Retrofit” project. Since the beginning of 2023, this measure has seen a total of 261
ventilation systems at ebm-papst’s German sites
undergo testing to determine their energy efficiency. In cases where it makes sense to replace
fans, control systems, or individual elements
based on previous data collection or measurement, this is done as quickly as possible. Even
though the project will not be completed until thethird quarter of 2024, this measure has alreadybeen a clear success. “The potential savings varyfrom one case to the next, of course, but our retrofitting measures have a direct impact on both
energy consumption and emissions,” reports
Yvonne Riehle, Marketing Manager at ebm-papst.
Keeping an eye on the value chain
In addition to direct and indirect emissions,ebm-papst also takes into account the emissions
that occur within a company’s value chain, i.e.
upstream or downstream of the actual production process (Scope 3). This includes the procurement of raw materials and supplies, as well as
logistics and transportation processes. “Eventhough over 98 percent of our Scope 3 emissions
are generated during product use, we are keeping
an eye on the issue and implementing measuresof our own in areas where we can have a direct
impact. In addition to this, in 2023 we also presented a detailed summary of the individual subcategories in our own Scope 3 footprint. This
demonstrates once again just how important thisissue is to us,” says Klaus Wittmann. For example, we now use an electric shuttle truck to reduce traffic-related CO2e emissions on trips
between our Hollenbach, Mulfingen, and Niederstetten plants. The exclusive company bus routes
we have installed for employees at several locations also contribute toward the same goal. In the
Hohenlohe district, 18 buses pick up around
1,200 ebm-papst employees from within a radiusof 25 kilometers around Mulfingen and takethem safely to and from their workplace. Thismodel is also in use at our Chinese sites, where
factory buses now run on seven different routes.
These small yet valuable steps help us to further
reduce ebm-papst’s ecological footprint.

For more informationon the legal framework
for these measures,
please visit:
mag.ebmpapst.com/
avoidance

11

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24© ebm-papst

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

The plus energy building in Hollenbach
is just one example of the ongoing
optimization of our sites

Percentage of energy generated
within the company continues to rise
The use of regenerative energy sources and the responsible use of energy areof great importance for a company’s sustainability status. For this reason,
ebm-papst has been focusing on the use of renewable energies and improving
its energy balance for years.
Markus Mettler, Director of Technical Operations & Real EstateFM, has been involved in the development of this area since day
one. He remembers our first, tentative steps well: “When we
founded the ‘Hohenlohe Model’ regional initiative with a handfulof fellow campaigners back in 1991, hardly anyone was talking
about energy. It was only when we started implementing the energy efficiency tables in 2002 that the topic gained momentum.”
Today, energy consumption and energy efficiency are an integral
part of every corporate strategy, just as they are at ebm-papst. To
this end, the amount of energy required at the company – which is
generated and provided using a mixture of gas, electricity, heating oil, and fuels – is largely documented using a modern data col12

lection system. “We are working on incorporating the ISO 50001
energy management standard into our integrated management
system,” says Markus Mettler.
Hollenbach sets the standard
Even aside from this initiative, we are already making very efficientuse of the energy our company generates itself. One example ofthis is our plant in Hollenbach: Built in 2007, the plant is a plus energy building, which means that it produces more energy than thebuilding itself requires. The site received an Energy Efficiency
Award for its design in 2009. This effect is thanks largely to two
photovoltaic systems and two combined heat and power plants,

which together generate around 3.5 million kWh/a. In the third
quarter of 2024, a third photovoltaic plant with around 2.2 million
kWh/a will be connected to the grid. “Once that is done, we will be
producing around 5.7 million of the approx. 10 million kWh/a weneed by ourselves. This will increase the percentage of our energy
consumption that we cover ourselves. Other sustainability projects
that we will be implementing include fitting the entire site withhigh-quality LED lights and, in the long term, replacing or electrifying our heating oil supply, a fossil fuel that we are still using currently.” Using waste heat from our production facilities and data center
to heat cooler areas such as warehouses and individual production
areas also helps to increase our energy efficiency. Potential thermalenergy that cannot be used straight away is stored for later use.
Efficient energy use also extends to China
Alongside Hollenbach, a great deal is also being done at
ebm-papst’s other locations to reduce energy consumption at
the company to the bare minimum. It’s a huge undertaking thatis already paying off: Within just one year, our company’s totalenergy consumption has fallen from around 156,000 MWh(FY 2022/23) to just under 141,000 MWh (FY 2023/24). And according to Markus Mettler, this positive development also includes another important component: “We are managing not only to reduce
our energy consumption, but also to continuously improve our energy efficiency. We are doing this by checking exactly how muchenergy we actually need at each of our sites and for each of our
projects worldwide, then deciding on the most efficient way possible to use it.”ebm-papst global energy consumption (in MWh)FY 2021/22

FY 2022/23

FY 2023/24

Electricity

95,415

91,15487,741Natural gas

49,48645,16437,807

Heating oil

8,066

7,627

5,723

Fuels

14,671

11,471

9,145

Miscellaneous

1,043

311

651

168,680

155,727

141,066

Total

Last updated: May 16, 2024

The best example of this is our plant in Xi’an, China, which was built
in 2019. “There, a powerful photovoltaic system produces 1.45 million kWh/a and covers more than 25 percent of the plant’s own energy requirements,” reports Alice Sheng, Quality Project Manager
at ebm-papst China. And this figure is likely to improve further, as asecond system with the same output volume is scheduled for installation in the next few years. This in-house share of energy generation is supplemented by geothermal heat pumps with a cooling capacity in summer/heating capacity in winter of 2,792/2,876 kW. The
LED lighting installed when the plant was built also helps to improve the site’s energy efficiency. In 2021, the Xi’an plant became
the first ebm-papst production facility to receive RESET certification, thanks to the excellent air quality in the buildings.

»It takes courage to be a pioneer.

We want to break new ground,
network and grow profitably while
using digitalization and always
striving for sustainability. With
our innovative technology, we aremaking a decisive contribution toa sustainable future.«

Jan Philippiak
Shareholder, ebm-papst© Jan Philippiak: Philipp Reinhard

13

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENTSUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24

Conserving resources
with innovative solutions
In addition to our efficient use of energy and reduction ofemissions, sustainable water management and recyclingfocused waste management are also seen as key areas ofsustainable action at ebm-papst. With the solutions we use,
we strive to conserve natural resources and contribute to aclean environment.

To reduce packaging waste, we implement measures such as reusable paper or plastic packaging.
For example, we use reusable plastic folding boxes both for shipping goods to our customers andfor receiving materials from our suppliers. Afteruse, the boxes are initially stored at the recipient’s
premises, before being returned empty for the
next delivery. “This practice has already enabled
us to save several tons of packaging materials,”
explains Ulf-Peter Klotz, Group Manager for
Packaging Management & Quality Assurance at
ebm-papst. Packaging is frequently underestimated, but it’s a key part of a company’s sustainability strategy. “It’s often the small tweaks thathave the biggest impact,” says Ulf-Peter Klotz.

As part of a comprehensive analysis and with thehelp of a special calculation tool that comparescarbon footprint and resource consumption, we
examined the concept of “disposable versus reusable” more closely. “We took into account not justthe return and reuse of the containers, but also
their cleaning and repair, which affect the reusable system’s carbon footprint. Although thisindividual approach is very time-consuming, it isultimately relevant for our climate objectives,”
Ulf-Peter Klotz is keen to stress. “We want to act
sensibly and reasonably, optimizing sustainability
in all aspects of our business activities.” The way
one of our most precious resources – water – isused at ebm-papst sites all around the world168

megaliters of total water use(by region: Americas 9%, Europe 64%,APAC 27%)© ebm-papst; KD Busch

17,521 tons of waste in the2023/24 financial year, of which:After pre-treatment of the components, further powder coating is carried out by spraying robots in our ultra-thin-film powder coating plant.
One hundred percent of the excess spray is recovered and reprocessed using a negative pressure atmosphere.

Waste types and quantities in tons in FY 2023/24
AMERICAS EUROPE APAC

16,743t

Paper/cardboard,paper products

279

3,113

1,127

Wood

314

1,056

558

Plastics

1

402

29

185

780

663

4,911

2,907

271

Emulsions (oil/water)

–

486

5

Solvents

2

118

9

Styrofoam

–

59

1

Other types

–

213

–

Household waste

non-hazardous
waste

Metals778t
hazardous
waste

Last updated: May 16, 2024

14

© Nataliya Kalabina; ylivdesign; Kadiya – stock.adobe.com

also acts as a clear statement of the company’s
intentions. In addition to the three painting systems in Mulfingen and a combined cathodic dip
coating/powder coating system at the company’s
Osterburken site, ebm-papst also operates a cathodic dip coating system in Tapolca, Hungary, apowder coating system in India, and a cathodic
dip coating system in Italy, which is currently being replaced as a new building and painting system are installed at the site. At all our locations,
we have reduced the volume of water we consume to the bare minimum. In Mulfingen, for example, water use has been significantly lowered
thanks to continuous technical developments andour connection of a wastewater treatment plant.

To date, the volume of wastewater has been reduced from around 66 to just 22 cubic meters per
week. Among other improvements, the water weuse at the site is recycled and fed back into thewater cycle via cascade and flushing systems. This
process can sometimes be repeated several times
to further increase the benefits. After treatmentin the wastewater treatment plant, the purified
water is discharged to the local sewage treatment
facility. None of the inspections carried out by the
district administration in Mulfingen over the past
20 years, which are always irregular and unannounced, have resulted in any complaints. Thisshows how seriously we take the issue of water
use and treatment at ebm-papst.

Find out more about the development of water consumption:
mag.ebmpapst.com/resources

15

SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONSSUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24

The HighSpeed generation:
Optimization as a principle

Building technology
Data centers

Mr. Handschuh, resource efficiency has
become a hugely important topic in recent years. Why do you think this is?
Developments in recent years have shownthat we need to use the resources available
to us today more responsibly. This includes
keeping and processing them within a circular economy that is as CO2e neutral and energy efficient as possible. ebm-papst recognized this change early on and positioned
itself accordingly. Short transport routes,
optimized use of space, low space consumption, and energy-efficient operation
are all hugely important to us.

Systems &solutions

One result of this process is the development of high-speed drives – ebm-papst’s
HighSpeed products. What makes thisconceptual approach so special?

We see ourselves as drivers of innovation. Thanks
to our efficient use of materials and resources, oursolutions offer significant benefits not only to ourcustomers, but also to the environment.

16

The HighSpeed business field represents
the perfect combination of our resource andmaterial flows. This enables us to develop
high-speed drives for a wide range of applications, with a whole host of sustainable
quality features. These include durability,
low weight and material-friendly production, as well as lower power consumption© ebm-papst

and thus higher energy efficiency. Theenergy efficiency potential of our new
HighSpeed refrigerant compressors, forexample, is between 10 and 35 percent depending on the application. This progress
not only benefits us, the customers, and end
users; above all, it’s better for our environment and climate.
Alongside smart fans, HighSpeed isgoing to be one of the cornerstones of
ebm-papst’s product portfolio as we lookto the future. Does that surprise you?
No, not at all. HighSpeed was and is a strategic expansion of the ebm-papst productportfolio. We used our existing core areasof expertise in aerodynamics, motors, andelectronics as a starting point. We then set
up an interdisciplinary team to expand on
this expertise, adding oil-free high-speed
bearings and the associated manufacturing skills as new strings to our bow. With
these future-proof products, we can offer
highly efficient solutions whose components work in perfect harmony. This is exactly what our customers need, as their demand for resource and material-efficient
products is constantly growing.
The interdisciplinary team is the key, then.
How does that collaboration work?
Right from the outset, the HighSpeed product path was set up with a matrix organizational structure. The international teamcovers all the necessary disciplines, frommarket and application development toseries process development. There are
more than 60 employees on the team, allof whom are fully assigned to HighSpeed –even if some of them are still based in their

specific specialist departments in terms of
discipline. What also helps us is that most of
the team is based across two project houses
at our Zaisenhausen development site.
Since there are short distances between
them, they can easily engage in constructive discussions and quickly make decisions.
You can feel the drive for innovation the
moment you set foot on the premises.
What do you see as the most importantfactors for our future when it comes toresource efficiency?
Take the materials, for example. One ofour most important fields of innovation
plays a major role in this product path:
ceramic materials. These make PFASbased coatings superfluous, conserving ourresources and protecting our environmentand health – all while increasing the longevity of our products. And while you can’tmeasure things like team spirit and staff
loyalty in the same way as power consumption, for example, they are bothhugely important to our work. People are
our most precious resource, and we needto both hold them to a high standard andtreat them with the utmost care. It’s important to me that everyone on my teamtreats each other with respect and appreciation. When you think about it, this is also
a form of sustainability – creating an environment that’s worth living in.
		How HighSpeed
works: Find out more
about our turbocompressors at:www.ebmpapst.com/highspeed

17© ebm-papst

Industrial air technology

How can we optimize internal resource and material flows holistically? In this interview, Director of HighSpeed Products, Philipp Handschuh, describes the new productpath of HighSpeed compressors and explains the exemplary way his department is
structured in the context of sustainable product development.

© ebm-papst

Air and heating technology

SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONSSUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24

Future-proof testing:
Our test centerapst© ebm-papst with Midjourney (AI-generated)

ebm-papst products are durable, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly.
We test these sustainable properties extensively and repeatedly, documenting
the results accordingly. The majority of these methodical tests are carried out at
our new test center in Hollenbach.

Digital brilliance

©e

-p
bm

Dr. Daniel Boese
Executive Vice President
Global Transition

We see digitalization as a driver of innovation. By using the latest technologies,
such as IoT and AI, we are tapping into opportunities for even more efficient solutions.
Our focus is always on creating added value for our customers and the environment.
At ebm-papst, digitalization is a central pillar of our corporate andsustainability strategy. It forms the foundation for both our future
and the further development of our solutions. “Digitalization enables us to create added value on many different levels – for our
products, in our interactions with our customers, and within ourcompany,” explains Dr. Daniel Boese, Executive Vice President
Global Transition. “This strategic focus is crucial for the transformation of our company, as it increases efficiency and opens up
new opportunities for innovation.”Intelligence = greater efficiency
True to our purpose, “Engineering a better life,” we havecontinued to evolve our EC fans over many decades, thus optimizing the energy efficiency of the fan itself. With the possibilities presented by the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), we are taking the next evolutionary leap toward
the smart fan. “By influencing how and when a fan runs, we candrastically reduce energy consumption,” Dr. Daniel Boese iskeen to stress. The smart systems use cloud connectivity and AI
to control the fan motors as required, in a way that suits theirapplication. In a pilot project, the use of AI to test new operating
profiles enabled us to reduce the fans’ energy consumption by
60 percent.

Expertly prepared for the future
Digital solutions can help us significantly improve not only our
products, but also our internal company processes. We are pushing
the use of data and AI within the company through our IT competence center and investments in the field of product lifecycle management. This will enable us to speed up our decision-making processes and optimize our workflows. “One example of our work inthis area is the initiative we have launched with other SMEs to develop industry standards for an efficient and uniform flow of information between manufacturers, customers, and suppliers,” says
Dr. Daniel Boese, underlining the added value digitalization offers
along the entire value chain. “The digital twin plays an importantrole here, allowing us to bundle data and make all our product components traceable. This is also crucial for the circular economy –a hugely important issue in itself. After all, if we know the conditionof the fan before we receive it, the refurbishing process becomesmuch easier.” Martin Schulz, Director Strategy & Corporate Development at ebm-papst, is also confident as he looks to the future:“With the integration of smart systems, we are tapping into a complex new field of expertise that we can continue to extensively develop in the future. This will make ebm-papst more future-proof
than ever – while keeping our focus on sustainability as the basis of
our business activities.” 				Since April 2022, we have been using the facility in Hollenbach totest fans, drive modules and other ebm-papst products in large climate chambers, salt-fog chambers, and other test environments toensure that they meet all our environmental requirements. These
include the effects of temperature, moisture, and corrosion on the
products, as well as risk of penetration by foreign substances andwheel strength. In 2023 alone, over 430 tests were carried out at
our Hollenbach site – which is now our fourth test center alongside
Landshut, St. Georgen, and Shanghai.
Energy consumption significantly reduced in 2023
“With the new test center, we have finally united under one roof thelaboratories that were previously spread across different areas of
the Hollenbach plant. This decision was definitely the right move,”says Markus Steinmann, Director Test Department at ebm-papst,
on his initial impression of the change. “Firstly, it has allowed us tosignificantly improve the efficiency of our daily processes thanks toshorter distances between stations and leaner structures. Secondly,
it means we are now making more sustainable use of our resources.” One of the ways this is reflected is in the sites’ energy consumption over time. In 2021, the total energy consumption acrossthe different test locations came out at over 4,000 megawatt hours;
this figure had halved to 2,160 MWh by the end of 2023. This progress is also thanks to our introduction of smarter test strategies, as
Erich Kemmer, Team Lead Validation, explains: “We now carry out
our tests under controlled conditions, at the right time, as early as

possible in the process, and in a way that requires as little effort andenergy as possible. The resulting optimizations are directly reflected in the results. Take the service life test, for example: We used to
run the fans and ventilators at ambient temperature until theyfailed (end-of-life test). Now, we test the devices at their maximum
permissible ambient temperature and maximum load over a periodof six months. This not only increases the accuracy of the results;
it also reduces testing time, and thus energy consumption.”
Reducing resource wastage even further
Our constant efforts to optimize our processes are reflected in almost all areas of work at the test center, albeit to varying degrees.
“We have already fully exploited the optimization potential when it
comes to water. We now feed almost all of the resources from our
IP tests and irrigation chambers back into the water cycle. Unfortunately, the mixture prepared as an aerosol for the salt spray tests
cannot be reused due to the corrosion residue and impurities thatarise during the test. This wouldn’t comply with the applicable standard, either.” The situation is different when it comes to heat recovery and utilizing the resulting waste heat potential. For example,
the site’s heating system is connected to a cooling circuit that not
only cools, but can also recycle the generated heat. This ambivalentand flexible solution shows how important the test center’s work is
for the entire company, explains Markus Steinmann: “In terms ofsustainability, we want to minimize resource wastage of any kind.
And we are getting one step closer to this goal every day.”430
product tests were successfully
carried out at our Hollenbachplant in 202318
© ebm-papst; Lukas Zwiessele

Erich Kemmer pushes
our fans to the limit at theHollenbach test center

19

SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONSSUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24© fottoo – stock.adobe.com

Fresh retrofit
Old AC fans out – new, energy-saving EC fans in.
Without having to pause its operations, the leading
Swiss milk processor Emmi was able to modernize
the aging refrigeration system at its logistics
center with the aid of energy-efficient solutions
from ebm-papst.

i

PROJECT INFORMATION
Project:
Energy-efficient modernization of therefrigeration system in the logistics center,with retrofitted solutions from ebm-papst
Customer:
Emmi Group
About the customer:
Emmi is the leading manufacturer ofhigh-quality dairy products in Switzerland.
Around 350 employees process dairy
products such as milk, cream, and butter
at the company’s Suhr site.

Modern EC fansensure optimum cooling
performance© ebm-papst; Emmi AG

Savings (per year) due to new EC fans in the cold storage area:

200 t CO2e

550,000 kWh

The Emmi site in Suhr has been expanded in recent years, becoming a competence center formilk and butter. In light of this, Matthias Künzli,Specialist in Automation, decided it was time
to adapt the site’s cooling capacity and make it
more energy efficient: “The system had been in
operation for over 20 years and was simply nolonger up-to-date. The electricalinput power was much too high,the speed could not be easily adjusted, and the efficiency waspoor.” Sustainability has always
played a central role at Emmi
and is firmly anchored in thecompany’s corporate strategy.
Based on its sustainability
model, the company aims to
reduce its own emissions(Scope 1 and 2) by 60 percent by 2027. Energy
efficiency has an important role to play in this.

»For ebm-papst’s

employees, there
was no such thingas ›no can do.‹«Matthias Künzli
Specialist in Automation
at EmmiNo can do? No such thing!
Matthias Künzli met ebm-papst at a seminar
while looking for partners to help with the energy
retrofit of the company’s evaporators: “I was impressed not only by their modern EC fans, butalso by the commitment and enthusiasm of the
20

80%
ENERGYemployees at ebm-papst’s Swiss branch.
They supported my project right from the start.
For them, there was no such thing as ‘no can do.’In the end, picking their solution was an easy
choice.” The work began at the start of 2023.
By the time it was completed in spring of 2024,
three floors of the four-story logistics center were
equipped with a total of 206 new HyBlade andAxiEco axial fans – all without any pause in operations. The two variants offer not just low energy
consumption, but also the added advantages of ashallow installation depth, low noise level, andexcellent efficiency.
Cool energy savings
Alongside the smoothness of the process,
Matthias Künzli is particularly pleased with thetangible results the retrofit has delivered:“ebm-papst promised us an energy saving ofaround 50 percent. We’ve actually reached savings of over 80 percent for most of our fans. Fifty
percent of that comes from the high efficiencyof the fans themselves – the other 30 or so isdown to the fact that we were able to reduce our
output in line with demand.” This saves Emmiaround 550,000 kWh of electricity at its Suhr site,accounting for around 200 tons of CO2e per year.
21

PEOPLE & CORPORATE CULTURESUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24

Welcome to thePeople House!
The concept of the ebm-papst “People House” is our shared mission statementfor our professional home. Based on the values of efficiency, enthusiasm, andhumanity, it supports our vision of actively helping to shape a sustainable future
and a better climate in all areas.

, 20240
0
8,
3
1
ted: June

Last upda

People &corporate culture

EES
EMPLOYA healthy and safe work environment, individual development opportunities, and the promotion of diversity andinclusion are the cornerstones of the ebm-papst family.

22© lovelyday12; Vector Tradition – stock.adobe.com; © ebm-papst; Tobias Grewe“The People House is the vision from which wederive our special, future-oriented ebm-papst
employee strategy,” explains Dr. Sonja Fleischer,
Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at
ebm-papst. It’s not just a house; it’s a mission
statement that reflects our values and the needsof our employees. We developed the concept byconducting countless interviews in all our regions
around the world and across every function andhierarchical level within our Group. The results ofa global employee survey conducted in 2022,
which had an extremely high participation rate,
were used to further refine and finalize the design. “The surveys revealed a lot of things. For example, they showed that ‘enthusiasm’ is a very
important value for our employees, and that theyalso feel it is part of the working experience andlifestyle at all our sites around the world,”
Dr. Fleischer recalls. “That’s why we have chosen
to re-emphasize this point in our values.” Together with the values of efficiency and humanity, it
forms the stable foundation on which our houseis built.
This is the foundation of our excellence, which
consists of three building blocks: data analysis
and analytics, policies and processes, and integrity and compliance. This provides a high standard
for our work, which is always efficient, first-class,and – of course – compliant with the law. But wenever forget our humanity, either: We attach
great importance to making special moments inthe lives of our employees personal and individual. We celebrate important milestones in theirworking lives together with them, from their firstday at work, to graduation, apprenticeship andservice anniversaries, right through to retirement.
In order to maintain this good working relationship in the future, we take great care when selecting potential employees to ensure that they fit inwell with our corporate culture.
Dismantling hurdles, creating opportunities
The way we interact with one another is as inviting and open as the architecture of the People
House. “By actively promoting diversity and inclusion, we create a pleasant and trusting working
environment in which everyone can be who they
are,” affirms Dr. Fleischer. “We strive to create anenvironment in which everyone is accepted, respected and valued, and can make the best use of
their individual strengths to contribute to our success – regardless of their gender, (social) background, religion, age, sexual orientation, or physical and mental abilities.” We have launched anumber of initiatives and programs to promote
this sense of diversity. Some deal with work-lifebalance, an important priority for the modern employee. This is why we offer childcare support bycooperating with local kindergartens, for example. These valuable partnerships offer parents the
security of safe childcare when (re)starting workat ebm-papst. It is also important to us that ouremployees can take a flexible approach© ebm-papst; Markus Püttmann

Dr. Sonja Fleischer has been Chief
Human Resources Officer (CHRO)at ebm-papst since 2021

23

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24© D1min – stock.adobe.com

PEOPLE & CORPORATE CULTURE

Key employee figures
AMERICAS
GenderAge distribution

M

F
329

Under 30
21.1%

EUROPE

Other

Total

179

1

30 to 50

Over 50

41.6%

509

37.4%

M

F
6,139

Under 30
19.3%

APAC

Other

Total

4,647

0

30 to 50

Over 5051.6%

10,786M

F
1,251

Under 30

29.1%

16.2%

Other

Total

988

0

30 to 50

Over 50

79.8%

2,239

4.0%

Last updated: May 16, 2024

to organizing their working hours. This includes
part-time and flextime models, as well as mobile
work options. “What is easy to implement interms of administration, for example, poseschallenges when it comes to production,”
Dr. Fleischer says. “That is why we are developing
a flexible working time and shift model for production, which – if necessary and desired – canbe adapted to suit personal wishes and needs.”
We are aware that the proportion of women at
our company can be increased in several areas.
This applies to specific departments such as Logistics, but also to management positions in general. With this in mind, we have launched several
initiatives to promote women in our workplace.
This involves providing targeted support to help
shape individual career paths in the form of workshops, national and international networks, andmentoring and coaching services. Sarah Akhtar,
our HR Expert for Diversity & Inclusion, can reporton several pilot initiatives that are helping to improve diversity in all areas of our company.
“With one campaign at our Landshut site, forexample, we are hoping to get more women interested in working in logistics,” she explains.
24»We want every-“By showing them the different options available, we take away thefear of switching to this area.” Approaches that accommodate people with disabilities in our company’s daily work routines are also
being pursued worldwide. In Production at our Landshut site,
for example, there are special incluDr. Sonja Fleischer
sive workstations. But ebm-papst’s
Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
strong commitment to inclusion
at ebm-papst
and acceptance doesn’t stop at theGerman border, as Sarah Worden,
Senior Director Human Resources Americas,
reports: “At our American branches, our employees regularly advocate for greater awareness of
illnesses and disabilities.” Campaign days such as
World Down Syndrome Day provide an opportunity for such work. On this day, employees areencouraged to wear two different, colorfulsocks. This is our way of celebrating the uniqueness of every single person, regardless of thedifferences between us. It goes without sayingthat this philosophy is also practiced outside thecompany, as illustrated by the open doors of
the People House. By actively and financially

one here to feel accepted, respected
and valued.«© ebm-papst; Philipp Reinhard

The basis for successful collaboration:
A trusting and transparent relationship with one anothersupporting a wide range of projects in our sites’
local areas, including children’s hospitals and inclusive schools, we are helping to ensure thateveryone has access to modern medical care andthe ability to participate in life as part of the community. In 2023, for example, we helped to fundthe purchase of a wheelchair-accessible seesaw
for the playground at Andreas-Fröhlich-Schulein Krautheim.
Help in times of needAt ebm-papst, the idea of giving help to those inacute need is taken as read. One recent exampleof this social commitment is the emergency
aid we provided in Slovenia following the floodsin the summer of 2023. Sara Čučnik, Head of
HR Department at ebm-papst Slovenija d.o.o.,remembers exactly what happened: “ebm-papst
didn’t just provide financial help. We also started

a collection for urgent relief supplies the day thefloods hit. “Since our local site in Cerknica wasspared from the disaster, the almost 600 staff
there were able to devote all their energy to supporting those affected. Employees who actively
helped out were granted two days of special
leave to do so. “These examples show that humanity is probably the strongest value in our corporate culture,” says Dr. Sonja Fleischer. After all,international and cross-departmental collaboration can only be successful if there is also a culture of trusting and transparent cooperation.
“Our employees know very well that they are incontrol of the atmosphere in their immediateworking environment. And I look forward toworking with them all to bring the vision of thePeople House to life.” After all, the goal – trusting
and transparent cooperation – is something we
can all benefit from.

i
We are changing the world.
Together.
We are committed to creating a good atmosphere –both with others and among
our fellow colleagues.
To achieve this, we are constantly evolving in termsof ourselves, our working
environment, and the way
we work together. Here at
ebm-papst, we call this:Better working. Better teams.
Better future.

25

PEOPLE & CORPORATE CULTURE© ebm-papst; Philipp Reinhard

The safety of
our employees is
our top priority

A people-first approach
Our purpose, “Engineering a better life,” reflects our efforts
to improve not only the lives of the people who use ebm-papst
products, but also those of our employees.

As a company, we have a responsibility to protect
both the environment and the well-being of ouremployees. Jonas Limmer, Director Environment,
Health and Safety, is dedicated to this duty.
“When it comes to environmental protection andoccupational health and safety, the preventive
approach is what counts,” he explains. “We focus
on preventive measures to ensure that damage tothe environment or people never occurs in thefirst place, rather than dealing with it after thefact.” This includes setting up safe workstations
and introducing suitable protective equipment.
However, Jonas Limmer knows the biggest factor
in preventing incidents and controlling how often
they occur is human behavior: “Nowadays, incorrect or negligent behavior is the most common
cause of accidents at work.” With this in mind,
ebm-papst’s main focus is on raising awareness.
Regular training courses and discussion of casestudies promote an understanding of safety andenvironmental protection among employees.
Looking to the future, however, Jonas Limmer
sees two further challenges to which employers
like ebm-papst must adapt. “The big issues will
be an aging workforce and maintaining mental
26

health.” ebm-papst is well prepared for this, having already optimized its workstations and set up
a range of services relating to mental well-being
to prevent future problems.
Physical and mental health“Overall, ebm-papst offers many preventative,
but also supportive, measures to promote thewell-being of our employees – both physicallyand mentally,” stresses Markus Beringer, Vice
President HR Heating Technology in Landshut.
Just like with environmental protection and occupational health and safety, we attach great importance to behavioral prevention measures inthe traditional areas of exercise, nutrition, stress,
and addiction prevention, etc. These measures
can be offered both in person and online – meaning they are accessible across all our locations
worldwide. This year’s focus is on prevention
programs to avoid musculoskeletal disorders –particularly back problems – and to promotemental health. “These offers are aimed at employees with office tasks as well as colleagues
from our Logistics and Production areas. We alsooffer face-to-face counseling sessions and online

A great success: Around 3,000
runners took part in the ebm-papst
marathon in 2023

© ebm-papst; KD Busch; © Sync; lovelyday12 – stock.adobe.com

psychological counseling for all employees forcrisis intervention purposes,” explains Ralf Stehle,
Team Lead Health Management. The program
also includes regular medical check-ups suchas blood pressure and blood sugar tests, bowel
cancer screening, and the usual occupational
health examinations. The comprehensive program is rounded off by support for those on
long-term sick leave and assistance with theirreturn to work. The health-oriented 0-10-21
running program has also proved popular as ameans of preparing for the ebm-papst marathon(see info box).
Working together for a good cause
Carina Hirschlein, Project Manager Exhibition &Events, is in charge of organizing the ebm-papst
marathon, and has noticed an interesting devel-

opment in recent years: “The whole event is ahighlight for the Hohenlohe region – and not justin sporting terms. That’s because we work hardwith local companies and clubs to offer a wide
range of activities for all the family.” It’s no surprise that the event attracts thousands of visitors every year. After all, ebm-papst employees
also regularly travel from neighboring countries
to participate in a number of the offered disciplines. However, we are always particularly
delighted to see the large numbers of children
taking part in the charity run. For every lap run,ebm-papst donates a sum of money to charitable organizations. The 2023 charity run raised
the highest sum to date: 3,000 euros. We wereable to present this money to the inclusive local
school Andreas-Fröhlich-Schule shortly afterwards (more on page 25).

i
On your mark, get set, go!
The complete program, registration
options and much more information
about the ebm-papst marathon canbe found on our homepage.

www.ebmpapst-marathon.de/en27

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24© ebm-papst; Philipp Reinhard

PEOPLE & CORPORATE CULTURE

We offer trainees and interns apractical approach to learning,right from the start

Learning from (working) life
ebm-papst’s innovative strength, productivity, and shared commitment are
the result of the hard work of more than 13,800 people worldwide. In orderto maintain our high standards, we make a point of constantly supportingand challenging our employees.

Employees today are looking for challenging workwith good colleagues and a clear goal in mind, according to Irina Windsheimer, Specialist Global
Employer Branding & Human Resources. “Theylong for meaningful tasks and want to play theirpart in creating a better future. At ebm-papst,
we offer them this opportunity.” That is why wehave used our purpose, “Engineering a better
life,” to come up with three core messages:“Better working,” “Better teams,” and “Better
future.” With these promises, we want to inspire
the right up-and-coming talent and specialists
and convince them to work for us. This is why,
when it comes to developing our positioning as
28

an employer, we place a lot of value on the experiences and needs of our existing employees.
We even let them speak for themselves as partof our recruitment measures, telling job candidates about their work at ebm-papst. As Irina
Windsheimer knows, “Nothing is more authentic
and meaningful than real employees talking
about their employer.”
Enabling and developing,right from the word “go”
To ensure a first-class future, it is important tosupport and challenge young talent from theoutset. During the “Energy Scouts” initiative>100
teenagers and young adults
start their training at ebm-papst
every year

founded by Markus Mettler and Hauke Hannig,
trainees are taught to identify energy-saving potential in the company and initiate sustainablemeasures to utilize it. “Since 2010, more than
1,000 companies in Germany have trained scouts
using our model,” he reports. The idea is evengaining a foothold internationally, with more andmore chambers of commerce in both Europe andthe USA now offering the Energy Scouts program. In another of our initiatives, “Future Heroes,” ebm-papst trainees and students aretasked with implementing selected everyday
work projects. Examples of this include our appearances at the HANNOVER MESSE 2023 andthe Climate Protection Day 2024. The Future Heroes planned and organized the measures forthese events all by themselves. “It’s important forjunior staff to take on responsibility at an earlystage and prove themselves,” says Timo Pflüger,Director People Development, Learning & Apprenticeship. We also regularly put students in
Heilbronn to the test: At the Campus Founders’“Corporate Campus Challenge,” the teams address some of the practical issues facing companies and work together to develop solutions.
Participation in this event has proven a valuable
experience for everyone involved, and provides
an opportunity for us to discover the specialistsof tomorrow.
Realizing ideas together
Of course, we also support further training for inquisitive colleagues who have long since completed their basic training. ebm-papst offers a wide

range of courses and programs for individual
training and development. “Whether employees
are interested in work-related topics or something completely different, like foreign language
courses, we facilitate learning both for professional development purposes and for personal interest,” explains Irina Windsheimer. One workshop in this portfolio is specifically dedicated tothe topic of sustainability. “We want to foster a
deep understanding of sustainability issues within
our team and motivate employees to take responsibility for such matters,” explains Sustainability Manager Annemarie Hillenbrand, who led
the practical program for the first time in 2023, focusing on everyday issues. She relies on interdisciplinary discussions and creative methods, like using Lego Serious Play to visualize ideas. The ESG
team is delighted with the positive feedback they
have received with regard to this approach. Afterall, the path to greater sustainability requires not
only technological innovation, but also education,commitment and the active engagement of ouremployees. Anyone looking for proof that the sustainable commitment of our colleagues goes beyond the theoretical can find it in the USA, among
other places. Community campaigns such as thewaste action days at the Farmington site are
evidence of our employees’ team spirit anddrive when it comes to sustainability, says Sarah
Worden, Senior Director Human Resources Americas: “It makes us proud to see how our employees
are actively helping to keep our environment
clean and make those around them aware of theimportance of environmental protection.”»Sustainability also means sup-porting and challenging employees.
Everyone should get the chance torealize their full potential. An important part of this is maintaining
physical and emotional health.
I am particularly keen to support
women in the many roles they playat our company.«Chloë McCracken
Shareholder, ebm-papst© Chloe McCracken; Paul Weaver

29

PARTNERSHIPS & RESPONSIBILITYSUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24

Thomas Nürnberger and Jochen Frieß (left to right)
firmly believe that sustainable paths can only befound through discussion between all stakeholders

Growing together
In a rapidly changing world, ebm-papst relies on the powerof cooperation to achieve sustainable success. Through close
cooperation with our stakeholders and strategic partners,
we aim not only to make sustainability an integral part ofour own operations, but also to promote it along our entire
supply chain.

4Partnerships &responsibility

companies founded thepioneering “Climate Protection
Companies” initiative –ebm-papst is one of them

We assume long-term responsibility toward ourcustomers, suppliers, and local regions at every
stage of the value chain.

30

We are co-founders
and members of:© ebm-papst

External stakeholders play a key role in thesustainability strategy of ebm-papst. “Our customers come first. Sustainable action only makes
sense if it creates added value for them,” stresses
Jochen Frieß, Executive Vice President Global
Product Management. “There is more than one
path to sustainability, with many different approaches and opinions. One challenge for us is to
identify those stakeholders who share our values
and goals, so we can work with them to jointly
improve our respective market positions.” Close
cooperation with OEM customers, suppliers, andindirect partners such as associations and service
providers enables us to find new and innovative
ways to make our business even more sustainable. Successful examples of this approach include initiatives such as the “Climate Protection
Companies” co-founded by ebm-papst and “NextLevel Mittelstand,” an SME group that is looking
for ways to standardize and digitize carbon footprint measurements for products.
Creating expertise, sharing expertise
However, some of our customers and stakeholders remain unconvinced of the importance of sustainability, as Thomas Nürnberger, Chief Sales
Officer (CSO) of the ebm-papst Group and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) Air Technology APAC,
knows: “We are seeing that sustainable thinking

and action is much more widespread in Europe
than in the USA or Asia.” We are innovation leaders in this field in two senses of the word: Firstly,
ebm-papst has established itself on the market asa provider of sustainable solutions, and is helping
to shape technological progress. Secondly, we
use our products ourselves at our locations
around the world, so we can advise our customers
and other stakeholders based on practical knowhow attained through “self-experimentation.”“At the same time, we are in constant contact
with our customers, suppliers, service providers,and other companies in order to share expertiseand develop new ideas together – across all sectors,” Thomas Nürnberger adds. “Our aim is toshape sustainable management in such a way thatit creates added economic value. This requires arethink of the entire value chain – not just one
link of it.”Opportunities at every stage of the value chain
ebm-papst has been implementing sustainable
practices at every stage of the value chain formany years, whether through local-for-local production, reusable and recyclable packaging, or
renewable energy sources at our sites. “We knowthat we can and must do much more – and we
will,” Jochen Frieß assures us. The first steps,
such as the establishment of a Group-wide31

PARTNERSHIPS & RESPONSIBILITYSUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24© ebm-papst

ESG team, the analysis of the most importantmechanisms for sustainability, and the consistentcollection and transparent communication of relevant KPIs, have already been taken.

© ebm-papst; Philipp Reinhard»As a family business, we think interms of not just profits, but generations, too. After all, it is the people
and the culture at ebm-papst thatmake us the innovative global market leader we are. The cultural diversity of our employees around theworld is the perfect facilitator as we
look to transition successfully intoa sustainable future.«
Ralf Sturm
Shareholder, ebm-papst

32

In addition to this, we also see the circular economy and R-strategies as areas particularly rife with
opportunity and a need for optimization. The
same goes for reducing our carbon footprint,
and we are already participating in some related
initiatives and pilot projects. This is why welaunched the strategic flagship initiative “Circular
Economy” – to develop the requirements of thecircular economy for our future products andassess new potential business models. Jochen
Frieß is certain that ebm-papst will continue to
set new standards for product development in
the future: “We see great potential in utilizing
connectivity and cloud connections to intelligently
control our fans and thus massively reduceenergy consumption.”
A zeal for sustainability
At ebm-papst, sustainable action is an integral
part of our corporate culture. “For us, sustainability is much more than a principle. It defines ourheritage and will shape our future,” explains
Thomas Nürnberger. Our employees passionately
demonstrate this every day. This culture of commitment and responsibility is particularly evident
in initiatives such as the refugee aid we have provided for Ukraine, where ebm-papst employees
have demonstrated impressive initiative and solidarity. “We are proud to create an environment inwhich our employees can get involved in social
causes – be it in the form of larger campaigns,
such as refugee aid, or the many smaller gooddeeds, such as supporting sports clubs,” says

Jochen Frieß of the social commitment culture
at ebm-papst. We also see it as our social responsibility to strengthen the local areas aroundour sites. Investments in educational facilities
such as schools and universities play a specialrole in this. After all, these are the institutions
that are nurturing the professional talents of tomorrow. All our measures, initiatives, and efforts
make one thing clear: at ebm-papst, the com-mitment to sustainability is not only passed
down from generation to generation; it is also
practiced and promoted actively in every part ofthe company. By fostering an awareness of social responsibility and integrating sustainability
into all its business processes, ebm-papst provides new impetus for the industry and promotesa culture in which social commitment and sustainable business go hand in hand.		

98%
of our products’ carbon footprint
is generated during operation.
Intelligent solutions can make a
big difference here.

Transparent, efficient, complete
In a brief interview, Pia Schreynemackers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flowand Logistics explains how the institution’s “Sustainalyze” project with ebm-papst
facilitates the comparison and assessment of sustainability reports, and how they canbe used for benchmarking.

© Frauenhofer IML

Learning through play: In theworkshop, the trainees andstudents implement their ideas
using Lego Serious Play

What is “Sustainalyze” all about?
With the introduction of the EU Corporate
Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD),
companies are faced with the challenge of
documenting their sustainability performance transparently, correctly, and completely. The “Sustainalyze” project, which
was developed in close collaboration between the Fraunhofer Institutes IML and
ISST and ebm-papst, addresses precisely
this issue. How can we make sustainability

reports suitable not just for comparison, butalso for assessment? How can company
data be used for benchmarking and in orderto support the strategy? By using technologies such as natural language processing
and machine learning, we can carry out indepth analyses that include both quantitative data and free text passages. This approach makes it possible to fully document
and optimize sustainability performance –an important step toward sustainable corporate management.
What was the reason for collaborating with
ebm-papst?
As a leading company in the field of air anddrive technology, ebm-papst shares our vision of a sustainable future. The partnershipis a win-win situation for both sides:
ebm-papst helps us with development by
providing use case interviews so that we caninitially test the software comprehensively.
This gives us valuable insights on whichfunctions we need to prioritize and overallmarketability. In turn, our work offers
ebm-papst a simple way of obtaining therelevant data, a competitive comparison,and thus strategic support.
How can other companies benefit fromthe project results?
The software enables users to compare andunderstand sustainability reports more efficiently, without having to spend time reading them. This is a real milestone, especiallyin an age where the demands for transparency and sustainability in business are constantly increasing. By improving the comparability of their sustainability reports,
companies can get a better idea of how
their performance compares to other businesses, and identify areas with potential
for optimization. Our partnership with
ebm-papst also shows how valuable it canbe to combine industrial know-how andscientific research when developing practical solutions that can help the industry as awhole to move forward. 		
33

PARTNERSHIPS & RESPONSIBILITYSUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24»We also use risk

Making sure our supply chain istransparent is of great importance to us© ebm-papst

Find out more about our Compliancedivision and what it does:
www.ebmpapst.com/compliance

Think fair, act fairCompliance with human rights and environmental due diligence obligations is a top priority at ebm-papst. This applies
both to our own business activities and to our entire supply
and value chain.

“Here at ebm-papst, the issues of human rights,
environmental protection, and sustainability areclosely interlinked. Only by grounding our daily
actions in respect for others and the environment
can we truly live sustainability and live up to ouroverarching purpose, ‘Engineering a better life.’
As such, we will continue to dedicate more
focus to these issues in the future,” says Dennis
Diefert, Human Rights Officer and Vice President
Business Functions & Group Compliance, summarizing the important role of due diligence forebm-papst.
In dialogue with our suppliers
The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act(LkSG) requires companies to ensure social andenvironmental due diligence at every stage of34

their global supply chains. A key component of
the implementation involves raising awarenessamong our international suppliers, particularly inregions where these legal requirements are not
yet widely known. “We make it clear that compliance with these standards, which are enshrinedin our Supplier Code of Conduct, is not voluntary,
but in fact a legal requirement,” explains Calia
Fredersdorf, Sustainability Purchasing Specialist.
By continuously training our colleagues, we ensure that they all maintain the same, up-to-datestandard of knowledge on this subject so they
can analyze our global supplier pool and assist
our suppliers when speaking to them in person.
The dialogue with the suppliers is very important
to us here at ebm-papst, as it enables us to promote shared values and sustainability goals. “We

21national languages included in
the ebm-papst Code of Conduct

also see the LkSG as a great opportunity inthis regard. It offers us the chance to set a
good example, strengthen our relationships
with our suppliers, and work together withthem to improve their standards,” Calia
Fredersdorf explains. This enables us toexert a strong influence on the entirety of
our supply chain and promote a risk-freevalue chain – and it also leads to better
customer relationships.
Recognizing risks, finding solutions
Risk management at ebm-papst is an essential component of legally compliant and ethical corporate governance, as reflected by ourinternal compliance directives. These cover anumber of areas, including environmental
protection, human rights, the protection offair competition principles, and the avoidance of corruption, bribery, and discrimination. “At ebm-papst, we take a cooperative
approach to risk management. Together withour colleagues and suppliers, we focus onprotecting people and the environment,” explains Sylvia Meyer, Compliance Consultant.
We use regular risk analyses and our whistleblower system (see info box) to proactively
identify and evaluate potential risks, and always do our best to speak to our suppliers as
we look to develop solutions. Michael Müller,
Risk Officer Own Business Area, is keen to
point out: “Terminating a business relationship should only ever be the last resort, after
all other options for cooperation and improvement have been exhausted.” The sup-© ebm-papst

plier risk analysis, which is used to check the
supply chain for environmental and humanrights risks, is divided into two steps. First ofall, the country- and sector-specific risks inparticular are identified and assessed, so that
we can then look in more detail at the suppliers that stand out. “This process allows us toclosely analyze potential deviations. We canthen use this information to initiate preventive or corrective measures – ideally by working together with our suppliers,” says Calia
Fredersdorf. “We also ensure a uniform understanding and consistent applicationof the Compliance Directives in our own
business area,” adds Sylvia Meyer, “be thatby means of comprehensive risk analyses,
audits at our various subsidiaries, regulartraining for various employee groups, or
discussions within the Global Compliance
Officer Network.”“Our commitment to fair and sustainableaction is the foundation of our work at
ebm-papst. By working together on our standards and processes with our internal and external stakeholders, we not only strengthen
our supplier relationships, but also initiate
positive changes right along the value chain.
We are determined to continue actively developing and promoting sustainability issues
in the future through transparent discussion
and open communication,” concludes Martin
Wagener, Risk Officer Supply Chain & Vice
President Purchasing, rounding things off
with a positive outlook. 		

analyses, audits, andtraining programs
to ensure a uniform
understanding andconsistent applicationof the ComplianceDirectives.«
Sylvia Meyer
Compliance ConsultantiYour information helps:
The ebm-papst whistleblower systemebm-papst’s BKMS® Incident
Reporting System is a web-based,certified whistleblower system thatenables all our employees, business
partners, and external third parties
to report compliance violations,either by name or anonymously. The
BKMS, which is currently available in
13 languages, protects the identity of whistleblowers and enables
important information to be passed
on within business processes. It provides a platform for open communication and the continuous improvement of compliance standards at
ebm-papst.

About the whistleblower system:
www.bkms-system.com/ebmpapst

35

GLOSSARY© ebm-papst

OUTLOOK

Focus on sustainability: Our interdisciplinary Sustainability team develops, analyzes, and implements
company-wide measures to further advance ebm-papst
as a sustainable company. Left to right: Hans-Jürgen
Withopf, Klaus Wittmann, Annemarie Hillenbrand, andJonas Limmer

Find out more about ebm-papst’s
sustainability goals:
mag.ebmpapst.com/future

Our path to the future
We’re sure this sustainability report will provide you with comprehensive insight, and perhaps even inspire you to find your own wayof improving sustainability. For us, it is an important step on thepath to a future where our grandchildren can thrive.
We would like to take this opportunity to say“Thank you!” to all our employees at our international subsidiaries. They have supported us in putting
together this report, and breathed life and passion
into its subject matter every day.
In an environment of increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, we firmly believethat responsible, entrepreneurial action is becoming more important every day – whether in an
ecological, economic, or social context. That’s why,
here at ebm-papst, we take a proactive approachthat goes far beyond the legal requirements andthe projects presented in this report. The next few
years promise to be exciting: ebm-papst will be investing in innovative technologies and creative
36

business models. By doing so, we are not only
future-proofing our company, but also helping ourcustomers to reduce their own carbon footprints.
We will continue to focus more and more on the issues of digitalization and the circular economy, andalign our innovative solutions accordingly. In doing
so, we will continue to promote our employees andan appreciative corporate culture – based on ourvalues of efficiency, enthusiasm, and humanity.
We are confident that these continuous efforts,
both internally and in close cooperation with ourpartners, will bring about significant positive changes for the environment, all our stakeholders, andsociety as a whole. After all, that is our common
purpose at ebm-papst: “Engineering a better life.”?
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you have any suggestions orideas on what we can do better?
Have you already got some
practical experience in the fieldof sustainability?

Then please send us an email:sustainability@de.ebmpapst.com

Glossary

The detailed glossary can be found at:www.ebmpapst.com/de/en/company/
sustainability/glossar.html

Term

Explanation

AC fanA fan operated with alternating current.

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)

An international non-profit organization that encourages companies and cities to publish their environmental data
to promote transparency in climate protection.

Circular economy

A regenerative economic model that aims to reduce the use of resources to a minimum to keep the resources incirculation for as long as possible by applying R-strategies.

CO2 equivalents (CO2e)

A unit of measurement to summarize the effect of the different greenhouse gases in one value and make itcomparable, based on their respective contribution to the greenhouse effect as compared to carbon dioxide (CO2).

Code of Conduct

A set of behavioral expectations that applies to a company’s employees and business partners. It contains guidelines that the company voluntarily imposes on itself and provides information on legally correct, ethical, andsocial behavior.

Compliance culture

A term for a corporate climate in which all employees at a company comply with the applicable legal regulations
and internal company rules.

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive(CSRD)The EU Directive that obliges companies to disclose their sustainability information.

Diversity

Refers to variety among a group of people regarding their age, physical and mental abilities, ethnic origin andnationality, sexual orientation, social background, gender and gender identity, religion, and worldview.

EC fanA fan driven by a brushless DC motor; operates more quietly and efficiently than an AC fan.

EcoVadis

A provider of sustainability ratings, which evaluates the performance of companies in the areas of environment,labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.

End-of-life test

A reliability test that determines the technological limits of a product by subjecting it to sustained stress until
total failure.

Environmental, social, governance (ESG)

The term used to refer to the criteria used to measure the sustainability and social impacts of a company.

Facility management (FM)The administration and management of buildings and their technical installations.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

An independent organization that sets globally recognized standards for company sustainability reporting.

ISO 50001

An international standard that defines the requirements for an energy management system to improveenergy efficiency.

Local-for-local

A business strategy in which products and services are produced and consumed locally to reduce transportdistances and strengthen local economies.

Materiality analysis

A method for determining which sustainability issues are relevant for a company, based on an assessment thatcombines several internal and external factors.

Refurbishing process

The restoration, repair, or renovation of used products or appliances to bring them back to a functional and almost
new condition.

Retrofit

The process of upgrading and modernizing older ventilation systems with more efficient EC fans to increaseenergy efficiency.

R-strategies

Circular economy approaches that focus on reducing, reusing, repairing, recycling, and other measures to reducethe consumption of primary resources and promote the use of secondary raw materials.

Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)

A climate protection organization that enables companies and financial institutions worldwide to help combat
the climate crisis. Submitted emission targets are scientifically evaluated by SBTi based on the Paris Climate
Agreement, to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C.

Scope

A company’s GHG emissions are divided into three areas, also known as scopes. Scope 1 refers to direct emissions
from the company’s own sources or sources under the company’s control. Scope 2 refers to indirect emissions
resulting from the generation of energy purchased by the company. Scope 3 refers to all indirect emissions(not included in Scope 2) that arise at some point along the company’s value chain, including upstream anddownstream emissions.

Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG)

German legislation obliging companies to fulfill human rights and environmental due diligence obligations
throughout their global supply chains.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Seventeen interlinked goals adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015. These goals form a common
foundation for peace, prosperity, and ecological sustainability.

37

Click on the page numbers in the GRI index to go to the respective section.
Click on the index symbol on each page to return to the GRI index.

GRI INDEXSUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023/24

GRI Index
General disclosures

Environment

GRI 2 General disclosuresPage

GRI 302 Energy

Page

2-1

Organizational details

5

302-1

Energy consumption within the organization

12–13

2-2

Entities included in the organization’s sustainability reporting

5

302-3

Energy intensity

12–13, 19

2-3

Reporting period, frequency, and contact point

2

302-4

Reduction of energy consumption

10–11, 12–13

2-6

Activities, value chain, and other business relationships

5

GRI 303 Water and wastewater

2-7

Employees

5, 22, 24

303-1

Water as a shared resource

14–15

2-8

Workers who are not employees

5, 22, 24

303-3

Water withdrawal

14–15

2-11

Chair of the highest governance body

Information is treated as confidential.

303-4

Water discharge

14–15

2-12

Role of the highest governance body in overseeing the management of impacts

Information is treated as confidential.

303-5

Water consumption

14–15

2-13

Delegation of responsibility for managing impacts

Information is treated as confidential.

GRI 305 Emissions

2-14

Role of the highest governance body in sustainability reporting

Information is treated as confidential.

305-1

Direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions

10–11

2-15

Conflicts of interest

Information is treated as confidential.

305-2

Energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions

10–11

2-16

Communication of critical concerns

23, 34–35

305-3

Other indirect (Scope 3) GHG emissions

11, 33

Reduction of GHG emissions

10–11

2-22

Statement on sustainable development strategy

2

305-5

2-23

Policy commitment to principles and practices

6–7, 34–35

GRI 306 Waste

2-24

Embedding policy commitments on principles and practices

6–7, 34–35

306-1

Waste generation and significant waste-related impacts

14

2-25

Processes to remediate negative impacts

34–35

306-2

Management of significant waste-related impacts

14

2-26

Mechanisms for seeking advice and raising concerns

34–35

306-3

Waste generated

14

2-27

Compliance with laws and regulations

34–35

GRI 308 Environmental assessment of suppliers

2-28

Membership associations

9, 30–31

308-1

New suppliers that were screened using environmental criteria

34–35

2-29

Approach to stakeholder engagement

31, 34–35

308-2

Negative environmental impacts in the supply chain and actions taken

34–35

Material topics

Social affairs

GRI 3 Material topics

Page

GRI 403 Occupational health and safety

3-1

Process to determine material topics

6–7

403-1

Occupational health and safety management system

26–27

3-2

List of material topics

6–7

403-4

Worker participation, consultation, and communication on occupational health and safety

26–27

3-3

Management of material topics

6–7

403-5

Worker training on occupational health and safety

26–27

403-6

Promotion of worker health

26–27

Page

GRI 404 Training and education
404-2

Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs

24, 28–29

GRI 405 Diversity and equal opportunity
405-1

Diversity of governance bodies and employees

23–25

Business conduct
GRI 201 Economic performance

Page

201-1

5

Direct economic value generated and distributed

GRI 205 Anti-corruption
205-2

38

Communication and training about anti-corruption policies and procedures

34–35

39

© Bostan Natalia; Ольга Холявина – stock.adobe.com

Imprint
Responsible for the content:
ebm-papst Mulfingen GmbH & Co. KG
Bachmühle 2 · D-74673 Mulfingen
Phone: +49 7938 81-0
info1@de.ebmpapst.com
Project management and editorial team:Franziska Cyprich (Communications and Global Affairs)
Annemarie Hillenbrand (ESG)Maria Hübner (Marketing)Concept and realization:
MEDIUM Werbeagentur GmbH, Bielefeld
Editorial deadline:
July 18, 2024
Figures and content on linked pages are correct
at the time of going to press. No guarantee
can be given for subsequent updates.

www.ebmpapst.com